Dolls and Teacups
by arcaneocean
Summary: Peggy Tran is peculiar, and she's proud of it. But, when Jacob Portman suddenly shows up one day saying he's Abe's grandson, everything changes. Their loop is no longer safe, and it seems like nothing is the same anymore. But the thing that seems to change the most is her friendship with Enoch O'Connor. When did she stop seeing him as just a friend? Or was it always that way?
1. Prologue

**I do not own the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.**

 _"I tried to leave it all behind me_

 _But I woke up and there they were beside me_

 _And I don't believe it but I guess it's true_

 _Some feelings, they can travel too."_

— _Don't Cry, 2020 by COIN_

* * *

 ** _Eight Years Ago_**

 _"Grandpa," Jacob said, "who's this girl right here?"_

 _They had been packing up the photos of all those wonderfully strange children, when Jacob noticed that they had missed one. The picture showed an elderly man, his hand outstretched by his side. Underneath his hand stood a young girl who reached out to the man. The man seemed to not notice that the girl was even there as he stared off into the distance obliviously._

 _Grandpa Portman laughed. "Oh, that's Peggy!" He exclaimed, nostalgia flooding his words. "How could I forget little Peggy?" He smiled widely as he studied the picture. "She loved to play jokes on the locals," he continued, glancing up at Jacob for a moment. "Her sense of humor was always with her_ — _nothing would get in between her and a good joke."_

 _"Can she shrink?" Jacob asked skeptically. "Really?"_

 _His smile growing, Grandpa Portman nodded. "When I last heard, she could shrink to the size of a chipmunk, but she was working hard on getting even smaller."_

 _"Peggy got along with anybody, as long as you gave her enough time," continued Grandpa Portman. "But she was closest with Enoch." He wasn't looking at Jacob now, or the picture. He was staring off into the distance, reliving an old memory. And, for a while, Jacob and his grandfather sat there in a calm, comfortable silence. Blinking, Grandpa Portman looked around before his eyes once again settled on the photograph he held in his hands, and, with a sigh, he placed it back in the box._

 _"I suppose it's time to put these away again," mumbled Grandpa Portman, as he shut the old cigar box with shaking hands._

 _As Jacob ran off, Abe sat there, staring off into the distance once more._

 _"Oh, Peggy," he murmured, "I hope you and everyone else are all right. I hope you have all found it in your hearts to forgive me..."_

* * *

 ** _September 3, 1940_**

Peggy Tran sneezed loudly. As she furiously rubbed at her nose, a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"All right there, Peggy?" Emma Bloom asked her as she joined her on the front steps outside their home.

"I am well, Emma," Peggy replied, a sheepish smile on her face. "Just a sneeze, that's all."

Emma laughed. "Well, you know what that means. If you sneeze, someone must be thinking about you!"

Suddenly, another arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her away from Emma, and into the side of Enoch O'Connor. He looked down at Peggy with a sort of half-smirk, half-smile.

"Now, who on earth would willingly think about you?" He asked her, his voice holding an underlying tone of sarcasm.

Peggy just smiled cheekily. "Maybe the same people that would think about _you_."

"Not many, then."

Giggling, Peggy shoved him lightly. Emma watched the two, smiling softly as her mind went elsewhere.

 _Oh, Abe,_ she thought to herself, _I wish you were here right now._

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Oops, I've made another! I had read this series a while back, and I recently remembered how much I loved it. So, I decided to make a story for it. That's where Peggy comes in! Her family migrated to Europe a few years before she was born. English is not Peggy's first language, so she struggles a little when she tries to speak it. I'm also going to try to include some Vietnamese, but I do not speak this language, nor do I have any way to learn it currently, so I will be trying my best. Please correct me if I put something in this story that is incorrect! I will try to avoid using Google Translate because, even though they mean well, their translations _suck_. I should know—I've taken three years of Spanish, and I got about halfway through my first year before I realized that Google Translate was not the site to use. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the story! This will be based off of the books, as that is my primary source, but the Enoch in this story will be based of the one portrayed by Finlay MacMillan. Happy reading!**


	2. Who's Jacob?

**I do not own the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.**

 _"All of my flaws, all of your flaws_

 _When they have been exhumed_

 _We'll see that we need them to be who we are_

 _Without them we'll be doomed."_

 _—Flaws by Bastille_

* * *

Peggy was sitting happily in the teacup placed by her bed, sighing in content. Suddenly, the cup was picked up, and she was dumped into a small hand. Olive peered down at her, an smile on her face.

"There you are!" Olive exclaimed.

"Here I am," agreed Peggy. "What is it, Olive?"

"The Bird says it's time for your English lessons again, Peg," the younger girl told her.

Groaning, Peggy jumped out of Olive's hand, growing to her normal height as she did so. Reluctantly, she trudged through the house to find Miss Peregrine. Peggy found the older woman in the sitting room, where she sat in her rocking chair, knitting. A small pile of cards sat next to her.

"Ah," smiled Miss Peregrine. "There you are, Miss Tran. Are you ready for today's lesson?"

Peggy just shrugged. Learning and improving her English was never her favorite part of the day. "I guess," she mumbled.

Miss Peregrine smiled. "Well, then, let's begin!" She paused before adding, "And remember, Miss Tran, that polite persons do not mumble."

"Yes Headmistress Peregrine."

And, with that, they began. Miss Peregrine held up a single card at a time; each one had a quaint hand-drawn picture on them. Peggy would say the English word for each picture (Bird, forest, jungle, etc.). Even though Peggy had been around for a while, she often neglected the use of her second language, preferring the one she had grown up with. It kept her tied to her family.

As Peggy was slowly sounding out the word 'alligator,' she had never been too good with longer words, Emma burst into the room.

"Headmistress Peregrine!" Emma cried, a look of frustration and anger on her face. "There's a boy here who claims to be—"

"Yes, yes, bring him here, if you please, Miss Bloom," Miss Peregrine said calmly, not looking away from Peggy. "Miss Tran, I am afraid we are going to have to cut our English lesson short. I would like for you to take these cards with you and continue studying them, though."

Nodding, Peggy took the cards from the woman's outstretched hands and left. As she walked along, she passed by Emma, who was going back to Miss Peregrine in the sitting room. She was leading a boy who was tied up with a rope. Peggy gave the boy a confused look, but he seemed too mesmerized by the happenings in the house to pay attention to her.

Peggy made her way down to the basement, where she found Enoch working on his homunculi, too absorbed in his work to notice her there. She took the opportunity to study him; his dark hair was in disarray and his hands and his clothes had clay all over them. As she set the cards on the table, Enoch looked up with a slight start, smiling a little when he saw her.

"Thought you had another English lesson with the Bird," he said, cocking an eyebrow.

"I did," Peggy agreed. "Emma had something she needed to talk to the Headmistress about. A boy she found, I think."

Enoch snorted.

"She told me to keep looking at the cards," Peggy continued, ignoring him while she stared dejectedly at the cards.

Enoch chuckled as he stared at her fondly, before holding out his hand. "Give them here," he told her, nodding towards the flash cards. "If the Bird wants you to keep learning, I'll help."

She handed him the cards with a soft smile on his face. "Thank you."

Shrugging it off, he just replied, "It'd be better than Bronwyn trying to teach you or something." He held up a card he had picked from the middle of the stack. It had a picture of a chrysanthemum, Peggy's favorite flower, even if she had great difficulty pronouncing it.

"C-chrysa—ch..." Peggy trailed off sadly. "Can't say it," she grumbled.

Enoch sighed. "Look at me, Peg," he commanded her. When her eyes were locked with his, he continued, "All right, say it with me. Chry..."

"Chry..."

"San..."

"San..."

"The..."

"The..."

"Mum."

"Mum."

"Now, put it all together," Enoch said calmly, his steady gaze never wavering.

"Chry...san...the...mum. Chrysanthemum!" Her eyes widened. "I did it!"

Enoch laughed softly. "Of course you did, Peg."

Standing up, she quickly wrapped her arms around his torso in a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

Like always, Enoch stiffened slightly before he slowly, cautiously, reached his arms around her. He had to lean slightly so he could hug her well, but that was okay, he supposed. Enoch never knew what to do in these situations. If it were anyone else, he would shove them off and ask them just what on _earth_ they thought they were doing, but this was _Peggy_.

With Peggy, he never knew what to do. She made his heart beat faster than he thought possible, and he felt like his stomache was going to turn inside-out. It was an odd feeling, one he had never experienced in his 118 years of life, and yet, he didn't really want it to stop.

He opened his mouth to say something when Claire burst into the basement.

"It's time for supper!" She called.

Peggy pulled away, and Enoch immediantely felt the absense of her warmth. It made him want to just hug her all the time, but he refrained. Instead, he followed the two girls up the stairs to supper.

It started out no different than usual; Peggy sat in her normal spot in between Millard and Enoch, talking jovialy about how well she was doing in her English lessons with Miss Peregrine.

"That's great, Peg!" Millard told her, and Peggy didn't have to see him to see the smile on his face—she could hear it in his voice. Peggy knew he wanted to be a teacher, so he often helped her with her lessons.

Suddenly, the whole table went silent. Looking up, Peggy noticed the strange boy who was tied up earlier. He wasn't wearing the strange clothes he had on earlier; he was wearing Victor's clothes now, but the pants were a bit too short.

Miss Peregrine stood up. "For those of you who haven't already had the pleasure of meeting him," she began, "this is Abraham's grandson, Jacob. He is an honored guest, and has come a long way to be here. I hope you will treat him accordingly." After that, she began to introduce each of the children present at the table, and she answered the questions that the children had.

"Is Jacob going to be staying with us?" Olive asked.

"Not to my knowledge."

"Where's Abe?" Questioned Peggy.

"Abe's busy in America."

"Why does Jacob got Victor's trousers on?" Bronwyn asked.

"Victor doesn't need them anymore, and Mr. Portman's are being washed."

"What's Abe doing in America?"

At this, Emma got up and stomped angrily out of the room. No one paid any mind.

"Never mind what Abe's doing."

"When's he coming back?"

"Never mind that, too. Now, let's eat!"

Jacob went to sit in Millard's seat, apparently thinking no one was there. He jumped when Millard jabbed him with a fork.

"Excuse me!" He cried indignantly.

But Millard had to get up anyway; Miss Peregrine sent him to get clothes.

"How many times must I tell you: polite persons do not take their supper in the nude!" Miss Peregrine called after the invisible boy.

When those with kitchen duty came, Horace and Hugh began to guess what might be in the platters, but Peggy didn't recognize a few of the dishes that were mentioned by the two. Soon enough, the food was placed in front of everyone, and supper was underway. Peggy ate her goose leg hungrily—lunch seemed so long ago, and she was starving.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jacob asked Claire at one point.

"Claire doesn't eat with the rest of us," responded Hugh, a bee flying out of his mouth as he spoke. "She's embarrassed."

"I am not!" Claire retorted angrily.

"Yeah?" Hugh taunted. "Then eat something!"

Miss Peregrine stepped in. "No one here is _embarrassed_ of their gift. Miss Densmore simply prefers to dine alone. Isn't that right, Miss Densmore?"

Claire just sat there, her face flushed.

"She has a backmouth," Millard provided.

This didn't really help Jacob, apparently. "A what?" He asked.

"Go on, show him," Horace called. Everyone soon joined in.

Slowly, Claire turned around in her chair, gripping the back for support. Then, she dipped her head back to her plate, allowing her backmouth to take a bite out of the goose leg that was placed before her. She turned back around, looking rightfully annoyed. This, however, seemed to satisfy the other children, and they then turned their attention to Jacob, asking him questions about the future.

"What sort of flying motorcars do you have?" Horace asked excitedly.

"None," replied Jacob. "Not yet, anyway."

"Have they built cities on the moon?" Hugh asked.

"We left some garbage and a flag there in the sixties, but that's about it."

"What about Vietnam?" Peggy asked with wide eyes. "Is my country okay?"

Jacob nodded. "It split into two countries for a while, and there was a civil war, but it's all okay now."

Peggy slumped in her chair, sighing in relief.

"Does Britain still rule the world?" Asked Enoch.

"Uh... not exactly."

Everyone was rather disappointed at the future Jacob told them about. Nothing exciting was happening at all!

"You see, children?" Miss Peregrine questioned. "The future isn't so grand after all. Nothing wrong with the good ole here and now!"

This raised another question for Jacob. "Do you mind if I asked how old you all are?" He said.

"I'm eighty-three," Horace said.

"I'll be seventy-five and a half next week!" Olive declared excitedly, raising her hand.

"I'm either one hundred seventeen or one hundred eighteen," Enoch said. "I was in another loop before this one." He looked over to Peggy.

"Uh, um... tám mươi sáu," she said, not sure about the English translation of her age.

Enoch sighed. "She's eighty-six," he told Jacob, who was looked thoroughly confused. "She's still working on her English, though."

"I'm nearly eighty-seven," Millard told them, his mouth full of food. Everyone groaned and looked away at the sight.

"I'm sixteen," Jacob told them when it was his turn. Peggy's jaw dropped. Olive laughed out loud.

Suddenly, a loud boom sounded outside; the bombing was starting!

"Hurry up and finish everyone!" Sang Miss Peregrine. Another bomb fell, shaking the entire house this time. A picture fell from the wall.

"What _is_ that?" Asked Jacob.

"It's those damned Jerries again!" Olive growled as she banged on the table. The air-raid siren went off in the background, and Jacob seemed to have a sudden realization.

"We have to get out of here," He said, panicked. "We have to go before the bomb hits!"

Enoch looked over to Peggy, an unimpressed look on his face.

Olive giggled. "He doesn't know! He thinks we're going to die!"

"It's only the changeover," explained Miller. "No reason to get your knickers in a twist."

"This happens every night?" Jacob asked in disbelief.

"Every single evening," agreed Miss Peregrine, nodding.

"May we go outside and show Jacob?" Hugh asked eagerly.

"Yes, may we?" begged Claire, no longer pouting in silence. "The changeover is ever so beautiful!"

The children pleaded until Miss Peregrine finally relented. "All right, so long as you wear your masks," she told them.

Everyone jumped from their seats and ran to get their gas masks. Enoch, who had gotten there a little earlier than Peggy, handed her one. They went out quickly to the lawn and sat down, watching the bombs fall, smoke rise, and trees burn. As each bomb fell, Peggy could feel the explosions in her chest, but she didn't mind. She just joined in on the rhyme that the others were singing.

 _Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, RUN!_

 _Bang, bang, BANG, goes the farmer's gun_

 _He'll get by without his rabbit pie, so_

 _Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, RUN!_

As the song ended, the kids began to clap and cheer, as if it were just fireworks. Like always, it began to drizzle as the bombings slowed. Enoch stood and grabbed Peggy's hand, hoisting her up with him.

"Come on," he told her, leading her to the topiary of Adam, like always. They watched eagerly as the plane drew closer to them, and the bomb fell.

Jacob screamed and ducked for cover. Enoch glanced at him for a moment, laughed, and turned his head back to the display.

The bomb slowed and stopped, seeming to balance on the tip of Plant Adam's finger. Then, the whiteness spread everywhere, covering everything. Then, it was night again. No bombs, no smoke, just peace and quiet under the full moon. The children took off their gas masks.

Jacob decided to leave, then, and Emma was guiding him home. He tried to answer the questions that the younger children asked him, but he only gave vague answers, still slightly dazed at what happened only minutes ago.

Enoch held out his hand for her again as he stood up, and this time, Peggy jumped, shrinking as she did so, into his palm. He cupped his hands, which still had clay on them, around her as he carried her into the house. once inside, he set her gently on the ground.

"You can walk," he told her. "Your legs aren't broken."

Laughing, Peggy grew back to her normal size. "I know," she giggled. "Good night, Enoch."

He smiled despite himself. "Good night, Peg."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Well, there you go—there's the first chapter of Dolls and Teacups! I hope you liked it! Please, please, please let me know if any of the characters seem a little OOC, because, like I've mentioned in my other fics, that is something I struggle with. Also, please let me know if the Vietnamese I use in the story is incorrect, or I accidentally make Peggy sound like she's learning Vietnamese rather than speaking it her whole life. If you liked this, please review, favorite, and/or follow, and I'll see you next time! Thank you!**

 **Also, big thanks to Ben23ten for favoriting this story! Your support means a lot!**

 **Review(s)-**

 **KJewels (Guest): Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoy it!**


	3. What's This?

**I do not own the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.**

 _"The world is getting colder_

 _Strangers passing by_

 _No one offers you a shoulder, no one looks you in the eye_

 _But I've been looking at you for a long, long time_

 _Just trying to break through, trying to make you mine."_

— _Bonfire Heart by James Blunt_

* * *

That morning, Peggy was particularly excited. They decided to put on a little show, and Miss Peregrine agreed that she could be in it. She stood eagerly off stage, waiting for her cue.

"Ladieeeees and gentlemen!" she heard Millard call. "It gives me the utmost pleasure to present to you a performance like no other in history! A show of unrivaled daring, of such accomplished magicianship, you will not believe your eyes! Good citizens, I give you Miss Peregrine and her Peculiar Children!"

The crowed cheered.

"For our first illusion," Millard continued, "I will produce Miss Peregrine herself!"

Even though she couldn't see on the stage from where she was, she could hear the crowd cheer with each act. She cheered alongside them when Enoch went out, not particularly caring that she couldn't see him.

"And now," Enoch declared, "Miss Peggy Tran will disappear!"

That was her cue!

Quickly, Peggy went out on the stage, holding her teacup by the handle with one hand, and supporting the saucer that held it with her other hand. Then, delicately, she placed the cup and saucer on the ground before Millard draped a sheet over her. Peggy then quickly shrank, landing in her teacup, and the sheet fell after her. Millard whipped the sheet away and held up the teacup, displaying it to the cheering audience before handing it to Enoch, who was waiting off stage. The dark haired boy peered into the cup.

Peggy grinned and waved. "Hello, Enoch!" She called.

Enoch gave her a small smile. "Hello, Peg," he replied. "Let's get you into the house, yeah?" Not waiting for her to reply, he walked into the house, through the hallway, down the stairs, and into the basement, where he sat her teacup on the table and helped her out.

Peggy smoothed out her floral dress before she ran and leaped off the table, growing as she did so. Looking up at Enoch, she told him, "I'll get lunch for us." She ran up the stairs, leaving Enoch to think by himself.

He rubbed a hand over his face absentmindedly as he sat at the table, hoping his homunculi would distract him from the odd feeling that had returned to his stomach. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ the feeling, it actually felt quite nice, now that he thought about it, it was the infuriating fact that he had absolutely no idea why it was there, or what it meant. As he watched the small clay men move about, he went over the situation. The feeling came when he was around Peggy, obviously. He already knew that. But why? Then, with a slight start, he remembered how Emma had once described how she felt about Abe.

"It's like I've got butterflies living in my stomach," she had told them, "and they always get excited when Abe's near. And my face feels all warm, and—"

That was around the part where Enoch had started to tune her out, but it was enough to make him realize something. He liked Peggy. As in he _fancied_ her. Enoch dropped his head into his hands and groaned.

"Enoch?" Peggy asked, startling him. "Are you all right?" She had two plates in her hands—lunch.

He smiled as best as he could. "I'm fine, Peg."

Peggy smiled brightly at this, sending his emotions into a frenzy. She sat down their lunches and pulled over a chair, sitting down next to him. "Emma wants to know if we want to go s-swimming after lunch!"

"Who else is going?" He asked.

"Well," she replied, "when I was up there, she was trying to get Hugh, Horace, Fiona, and Millard to go, and I think Jacob was going to go, too."

Enoch rolled his eyes. "I don't think I'll go." He thought a moment before continuing, "You could still go, if you want." He didn't really mean that, though. He wasn't going to try and stop her, no, he would probably just sit and sulk instead.

Peggy shook her head. "I won't go without you! You're my friend, Enoch." She looked at him, her almond-shaped eyes wide with sincerity.

"Thanks, Peg." He smiled a little. It hurt having her just call him a friend after his newfound realization, but he shrugged it off. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am!" She told him, biting into an orange. "I won't go anywhere without you, Enoch."

That made him feel a little better.

* * *

The next day, Peggy managed to drag Enoch outside. He sat on the stump on the edge of the forest, and Peggy sat next to him, no bigger than his thumb. As Peggy wandered aimlessly, simply enjoying the warmth of the sun, Enoch nudged her with his forefinger.

"We've got a deserter, Peg," he grumbled as he looked at the clay soldiers in front of them, searching for the missing one.

Quickly, Peggy climbed up onto his shoulder. "I don't see—wait! It's over there! By Jacob!" She pointed to where the teen sat, looking in confusion at the small little soldier by his shoes.

"Bring him here!" Enoch called to Jacob, cupping his hands around his mouth. Peggy waved her arms around from her place on his shoulder, grabbing onto his shirt when she stumbled a little.

Jacob brought it over and set it down with the other soldiers, wiping his hands on his pants as he did so.

"I'm Enoch, and this's Peggy," Enoch told Jacob, motioning to the small girl who had now climbed down and was sitting on his knee. "You must be him."

"I guess I am," replied Jacob.

Enoch began herding the straggler back into the group. "Sorry if he bothered you," he mentioned absentmindedly. "They get ideas when they haven't been properly trained. Only made these last week."

Jacob seemed impressed. "You made these? How?"

"They're homunculi," responded Enoch. "Sometimes I put doll heads on them, but this time I was in a hurry and didn't bother."

"What's a homunculi?" Jacob asked.

"More than one homunculus," Peggy piped up, proud she had remembered what Enoch had told her many years ago.

Enoch nodded. "Some people think it's homunculuses, but I think that sounds daft, don't you?"

Jacob pursed his lips. "Definitely."

The soldier he had returned began to wander away from the group again, and Enoch nudged it back with his foot.

"Fight, you nancies!" He commanded. When he noticed the same clay soldier trying to escape once again, he grabbed it and removed its legs off before he set it back down, allowing the others to attack it relentlessly. "That's what happens to deserters in my army!" He declared.

"Do you treat all your toys that way?" Jacob asked, a slightly disturbed look on his face.

"Why?" The older boy asked. "Do you feel sorry for them?"

"I don't know. Should I?"

"No. They wouldn't be alive at all if it wasn't for me."

Peggy furrowed her eyebrows when Jacob laughed.

Enoch scowled. "What's so funny?"

"You made a joke," Jacob told him, like it should have been obvious.

"You're a bit thick, aren't you? Look here." Enoch took the clothes off one of the soldiers, cracked it down the middle, and removed the heart he placed in it earlier. The soldier instantly went limp in his hand. He held the heart up carefully so Jacob could see it.

"It's from a mouse," he explained. "That's what I can do—take the life of one thing and give it another, either clay like this or something that used to be alive, but it isn't anymore." He put the now still heart into his pocket and plucked Peggy off of his knee, placing her back on his shoulder. "As soon as I figure out how to train them properly, I'll have a whole army. It'll be _massive_."

Peggy giggled excitedly as she swung her legs from her place on Enoch's shoulder. "What can you do?" She asked Jacob.

"Me?" He asked. "Nothing, really. I mean, nothing special like you two."

"Pity," Enoch said, a ghost of a smirk on his face.

"Are you going to live with us anyway?" Peggy asked curiously, her honey colored eyes widening as she spoke.

"I don't know," Jacob responded. "I hadn't really thought about it."

"But you don't _want_ to?" Enoch asked, quirking his eyebrow.

Jacob shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable. "I don't know yet."

Enoch narrowed his eyes, leaning closer. Peggy clutched onto his collar for support "Emma told you about Raid the Village, didn't she?" He whispered.

"Raid the what?" Jacob asked.

"Oh, nothing," Enoch replied absentmindedly, looking away. "Just a game some of us play."

The younger boy shook his head. "She never told me."

As Enoch moved closer, Peggy's grip on his shirt collar tightened.

"I bet she didn't," he said. "I bet there's a lot of things she didn't tell you."

"Enoch," Peggy whispered, a warning in her tone. He ignored her.

"Oh yeah?" Jacob asked, starting to look irritated. "Why?"

"Because then you'll see it's not as great as everybody wants you to think, and you won't stay."

"What kinds of things?"

Enoch flashed a devious smile. "Can't tell you. I could get in trouble."

Jacob had apparently had enough. "Whatever," he muttered. "You brought it up." He began walking away.

Carefully placing Peggy in his chest pocket, Enoch jumped up and clapped a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "Wait!"

"Why should I wait if you're not going to tell me anything?" Jacob demanded.

Enoch rubbed his chin. "It's true that I'm not allowed to say anything... but I suppose I couldn't stop you if you were to go upstairs and have a look in the in the room at the end of the hall."

Peggy's jaw dropped.

"Why?" Jacob asked. "Who's there?"

"Our friend Victor," Enoch replied smoothly. "He wants to meet you. You should go up and have a talk."

Peggy made eye-contact with Jacob and shook her head violently, but he ignored her.

Enoch mimed that the key was on the top of the door before Jacob turned around.

"What do I need a key for if someone's in there?" He asked, but Enoch just walked away as if he didn't hear.

Peggy jumped out of his pocket, growing back to her normal height. "Why did you do that?" She asked him. "Now he's going to get in trouble!"

Enoch just shook his head. "He won't, Peg. We'll follow him, if that makes you feel better."

They got to Victor's room and saw Bronwyn and Jacob in the room. "What happened to him?" Jacob asked.

"Maybe I'll wake old Victor up," Enoch said, leaning against the door frame. "You can ask him yourself." He shut the door behind him as he and Peggy came in.

Bronwyn ran up to him, her eyes glistening with tears. "Would you wake him? Oh _please_ , Enoch!"

He sighed. "I shouldn't," he said. "I'm running low on hearts as it is, and it takes a lot out of them to rise a human being, even just for a minute."

Peggy whacked his shoulder. Enoch ignored her.

"Please," begged Bronwyn as she lovingly caressed Victor's hair. "It's been _ages_ since we talked to Victor."

Enoch turned his head to the side as if he was considering the idea. "I've got some cow hearts pickling in the basement, but I hate to use inferior ingredients. Fresh is much better."

Bronwyn began to cry, wiping away at her brother's sleeve when a tear stained it.

"Don't get so choked." Enoch rolled his eyes. "You know I can't stand it. Anyway, it's cruel, waking Victor. He likes it where he is."

Peggy whacked him a little harder that time.

"And where's that?" Jacob demanded.

"Who knows?" Enoch shrugged. "But whenever we rouse him for a chat he seems in a dreadful hurry to get back."

"What's cruel is you toying with Bronwyn like that, tricking me, and dragging Peggy into all of this," Jacob shot back. "And if Victor's dead, why don't you just bury him?"

Bronwyn gave him a hurt look. "Then we'd never get to _see_ him."

"That stings, mate," Enoch said, giving the younger boy a tight smile. "I only mentioned coming up here because I wanted you to have all the facts. I'm on your side. And I never 'drag' Peggy into anything. "

Jacob snorted. "Yeah? What are the facts, then? How did Victor die?"

Bronwyn spoke up. "He got killed by a— _mmmph_!" Her voice was muffled when Enoch covered her mouth with his hand.

"It isn't for you to tell," he hissed.

"This is ridiculous!" Jacob cried. "If none of you will tell me, I'll just go ask Miss Peregrine."

Peggy looked at him with wide eyes, and Enoch took a few threatening steps forward. "Oh, no," he said. "You can't do that."

"Yeah? Why not?"

"She does not like it when we talk about Victor," Peggy mumbled, looking down. "It is why she always wears black, and if she finds us in here, she will be very mad."

"She'll hang us by our pinky toes!" Added Enoch.

As if she heard them, the sound of Miss Peregrine limping up the stairs came into earshot. Bronwyn paled and ran out of the room. Enoch shoved Peggy out and made to follow her when Jacob blocked his way.

"Get out of my way!" Enoch hissed angrily.

"Tell me what happened to Victor!"

"I can't!"

"Then tell me about Raid the Village!"

"I can't tell you that, either!" When he realized that the younger boy wouldn't budge, Enoch gave up. "All right, fine. Just shut the door and I'll whisper it to you!"

Jacob shut the door, and the two strained to listen. The headmistress's footsteps went down the hall and past them. They heard another door open and creak shut.

Enoch breathed a sigh of relief, and he slumped against the wall. "She went into her room."

"So," Jacob said. "Raid the Village."

Sighing, Enoch knew he shouldn't have brought that up. He motioned for Jacob to lean closer, and he whispered, "It's a game we play. It works like the name says."

"You mean you actually _raid_ the village?"

"Smash it up, chase people around, take what we like, burn things down. It's a good laugh."

"But that's terrible!" Jacob protested.

"We've got to practice our skills somehow, otherwise we'll get rusty. It's in case we need to defend ourselves. We've got rules, anyway. We can't kill anyone, just scare them a bit. And, if someone _does_ get hurt, they're fine the next day and don't remember anything about it."

"Does Emma play, too?"

Enoch smiled sardonically. "Nah, she's like you. She says it's evil. She and Peg are the only ones who don't play."

"Well, it _is_ evil."

Rolling his eyes, Enoch told him, "You two deserve each other."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Enoch rose to his full height, barely shorter than Jacob. "It means you'd best not get all high and mighty with _me_ , mate. Because if we didn't raid the damned village once and a while, most of this lot would've gone mad ages ago." He opened the door to leave, but not before he turned back and said, "And if you think _we're_ wicked, wait until you see _them_."

"Them who? What the hell is everyone talking about?"

Enoch merely raised his forefinger to his lips, the universal sign of 'Shut up.' He left the room quickly, looking for Peggy. It didn't take too long to find her; the small girl was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. When she saw him, her face immediately lit up in a bright, dimpled smile, and she launched herself at him, her arms wrapping tightly around his torso.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Peggy cried, her voice muffled due to her face buried in his shirt. "I thought Headmistress Peregrine had caught you!"

He chuckled as he looped his arms around her. "Have a little faith in me, Peg. I'm fine."

Peggy looked up at him, her honey eyes wide with so much sincerity, it took his breath away. "I do have faith in you, Enoch, but I have faith in the Headmistress, too. She always knows." She stepped back and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go back outside!"

Enoch smiled fondly at the small girl as he allowed Peggy to drag him outdoors, back to the stump where all his homunculi lay motionless. This, he decided, was all right.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Annnnnnd, here's the second chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed this! Also, quick thanks to AbixxD for favoriting this story. You rock, my dude! Again, if you have any helpful criticism, or any tips in general, please, please, PLEASE let me know! Especially when it comes to the way the characters act and Peggy's Vietnamese and English.**

 **If you liked this story, please favorite, follow, and/or review, and I'll see you next time!**


	4. Now What?

**I do not own the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.**

 _"_ _I want to tell you_

 _I feel hung up, but I don't know why_

 _I don't mind_

 _I could wait forever; I've got time"_

— _I Want to Tell You by The Beatles_

* * *

The next day, something felt off to Peggy. She tried to ignore it for the most part. It was a day just like any other; why should she get all worked up about it? Peggy tried her best to shove her uneasiness down so that she didn't cause any alarm for anyone else.

It didn't quite work.

"Peg?" Enoch asked as he lifted her out of his pocket and into the palm of his hand. "Are you all right?"

"I am all right, Enoch," Peggy responded, a cheerful smile on her face.

But Enoch noticed that her smile seemed a bit forced. "Tell me the truth, Peg. Please." He had never really said _'please'_ before, he thought absently as he looked at his friend earnestly.

Sighing, Peggy sat cross-legged on his palm. "It's nothing, honestly. Something just feels... off today. I don't know what, but..."

"I'm sure everything will be fine," he told her.

"Do you promise?" Peggy asked with wide eyes.

"Of course I promise," he replied in mock indignation. "When have I ever let you down before?"

Peggy giggled, and Enoch smiled slightly at the sound. He knew he was going to hold himself to that promise. He was going to make sure everything was okay, if only for Peggy's sake.

* * *

Unfortunately, everything was _not_ okay.

Peggy was sleeping soundly in her bed when the shouting started.

"ALMA!" The voice screamed out. "ALMA, I NEED YOUR HELP!" The voice continued to shout, calling out for Miss Peregrine.

Everyone stumbled out of bed, and Peggy's mind immediately traveled to Enoch. Was he okay? Did he get hurt? Oh, dear, what if—

"Peggy!" Enoch embraced her in a tight, bone-crushing hug. "Thank goodness—I'd thought something had happened to you."

Hugging him back just as tightly, Peggy responded, "I'd thought something had happened to _you!_ "

As they slowly, reluctantly, pulled away, Miss Peregrine called for everyone's attention.

"Children, this is Miss Avocet, and she—" The Headmistress looked around before asking sharply, "Where is Miss Bloom? Have any of you seen her?" She looked very worried. "When was the last time any of you had seen Miss Bloom? Oh..."

Hugh coughed, and Fiona squeaked slightly as they both refused to look at the Headmistress.

Miss Peregrine looked at the two sternly. "Miss Frauenfeld? Mr. Apiston? Please tell me now if you know anything."

"She's, uh," Hugh stammered, "with Jacob..."

Miss Peregrine sighed, pursing her lips. "Go fetch them, if you please, Mr. Apiston."

Hugh reluctantly let go of Fiona's hand (Peggy wondered absently when he had ever grabbed it in the first place) and set off to where Emma and Jacob had run off to.

Miss Avocet was resting in a chair, her head lolling back like a rag doll, and her face pale.

"If she's an ymbryne," Peggy began as Enoch hugged her again, "then where do you think her children are?" Her voice was slightly muffled by the fabric of his sweater.

Enoch tightened his hold a little. He knew Peggy had an idea of what happened with Miss Avocet, but it was too awful to think of, much less say out loud. "I'm not sure," he chose to say. He moved back a little, gaining a bit of confidence to place his hand on her cheek as he looked into her eyes. When she leaned into his touch almost immediately, he smiled softly. "But I do know that Miss Peregrine will help her," he whispered. He wanted to kiss her so bad. They had known each other for over seventy years—surely he'd have the courage to do that! Instead, he opted to bide his time, placing their foreheads together before he hugged her again.

Peggy grinned uncontrollably at the warm feeling in her chest. It was one she had been feeling a lot as of late. She had no idea what it meant, though; maybe she would ask Emma about it later. She would normally ask Enoch—she went to him for everything—but Peggy felt like this was something she should talk to another girl about.

Eventually, they joined the others crowded around the door, where they were discussing what might have happened.

"Perhaps they forgot to reset their loop," Claire volunteered, furrowing her blonde eyebrows.

"Perhaps it was the hollows," Enoch retorted nonchalantly.

Claire and Olive wailed at the thought, covering their faces in their little hands.

"Enoch!" Peggy hissed as she tried to comfort the young girls.

"There, there," Horace said, kneeling down next to Peggy. "Don't let Enoch fill your heads with rubbish. Everyone knows they like the young ones best. That's why they let Miss Peregrine's friend go—she tastes like old coffee grounds!"

"What do young ones taste like?" Olive asked tentatively, peaking out from behind her fingers

"Lingonberries," Hugh replied. The two girls wailed again.

"Stop that!" Peggy commanded. "Both of you!" She looked to Enoch, who was avoiding her gaze out of guilt.

"Leave them alone!" yelled Horace in agreement. He had finally returned, with Emma and Jacob in tow.

Miss Peregrine heard the ruckus. "What's going on out there? Is that Mr. Apiston I hear?" She asked from within the room. "Where Miss Bloom and Mr. Portman?"

Peggy looked over to see Emma cringe and look at Hugh nervously. "She knows?" The girl asked faintly.

Hugh shrugged. "When she found out you were gone," he explained, "she just about went off her chump. Thought you'd been abducted by wights or some barminess. Sorry, Em. I had to tell her."

Emma shook her head as she and Jacob began to go into the room where Miss Peregrine was. Peggy smiled sympathetically at the two of them as the went. The older girl smiled back tentatively, and Jacob gave her a small, but thankful, nod.

Enoch sighed as the door shut and sat down on the floor, pulling Peggy into his lap. "They'll be fine, Peg," he told her quietly. "Stop worrying so much." As he spoke, he reminded himself of a promise he made to her not even twenty-four hours ago, and he silently berated himself for it all going so wrong in such a short amount of time.

At that moment, Bronwyn came out of the door. "Do you mind helping me out for a moment, Peggy?" She asked, looking at the small girl.

Peggy got up off of Enoch's lap, never one to deny someone assistance. "Sure, Wyn!" She agreed amiably, not noticing Enoch's souring face as she got up off the floor.

"Go into the kitchen and grab a flask of brandy and a bottle of cocoa wine for Miss Avocet while I set up the couch for Miss Avocet, please," Bronwyn said softly.

"Okay, Wyn!" Peggy paused before adding, "Which one would th—"

"I'll help her!" Enoch volunteered. "C'mon, Peg, I'll show you which is which." He grabbed her hand, leading her away before anyone else had the chance to say anything.

"Enoch and Peg," Hugh murmured. "Who would've thought?"

"Anybody," Bronwyn said, smiling a little.

* * *

"What did you do that for, Enoch?" Peggy mumbled as she grabbed the flask of brandy, turning to her friend, who held the bottle of cocoa wine. "I'm not daft." She felt slightly hurt at his lack of faith in her.

Enoch's eyes widened. "I, I know, Peg," he replied, grabbing her free hand with his. "I just wanted to go with you. Honest!"

Peggy relaxed, smiling brightly, and everything was okay again. "Alright! Hurry, Enoch!" She exclaimed, pulling him out of the kitchen. "We can't keep Miss Peregrine waiting!"

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Enoch gladly allowed Peggy to pull him back to Bronwyn, who looked at him with a knowing smile as she took the drinks from them. Enoch glared, but Bronwyn's smile just widened as she went back into the room, shutting the door behind her.

Still holding her hand, Enoch took Peggy back to the others, who were crowded around the door, trying their best to listen in.

"Poor Miss Avocet," sniffed Claire as the door opened, and Jacob, Emma, and Miss Peregrine exited the room.

"Poor Miss Avocet's children," Olive replied, her eyes tearing up.

Horace turned to Miss Peregrine. "Are they coming for us now, Miss?" He asked, his eyebrows knitted together.

"We'll need weapons!" Millard declared.

"Battle-axes!" cried Enoch, tightening his grip on Peggy's hand when she shoved him lightly.

"Bombs!" Hugh shouted.

"Stop this at once!" Miss Peregrine ordered. Raising her hand, she continued: "We must all remain calm. Yes, what happened to Miss Avocet was tragic—profoundly so—but it was a tragedy that need not be repeated here. However, we must be on watch. Henceforth, you will travel beyond the house only with my consent, and then only in pairs. Should you observe a person unknown to you, even if they appear to be peculiar, come immediately and inform me. We'll discuss these and other precautionary measures in the morning. Until then, to bed with you! This is no hour for a meeting."

"But Miss—" Enoch began.

Miss Peregrine was having none of it. "To bed!" She demanded.

They all ran off to their rooms, Peggy and Enoch still gripping each other's hand tightly. As they arrived at the room that Peggy shared with the other girls, they stood at the door, neither of them saying anything.

"What do you think will happen, Enoch?" Peggy whispered, breaking their silence.

He pursed his lips, looking into her wide, nervous eyes. "I don't know, Peg," he answered honestly, "but I do know that we're gonna be okay. I'll make sure of it." He thought of the promise he made her not even that long ago as he gently nudged Peggy into her room. "Go to sleep now, Peg."

Lying in bed, Peggy couldn't sleep. It wasn't because she wasn't tired, she was exhausted, actually, but because there were far too many thoughts crowding her mind to sleep. Particularly about Enoch. She wasn't sure why, but she had been feeling odd when she was around him. It was a _good_ oddity, though. It felt nice, but Peggy had no idea what it was. The feeling was foreign, and she would rather not

With a start, she realized she did know the feeling. Well, she didn't know it _herself_ , but she talked to Abe about it once. When Abe first came into the loop, his English was still a little rusty, so he would practice with Peggy.

 _"Emma makes me feel happy," he had confided in Peggy one day. "I feel like Hugh must feel with all those bees flying around in him. My insides tickle when I'm near her, and she makes me feel like I am going to, to..." He paused, searching for the right English words. "She makes me feel like I am bursting with emotion. It is a good feeling, though. The best."_

 _"Wow," Peggy had uttered, her eyes wide. She had listened to Abe, hanging onto his every word._

Peggy gasped. Did she _like_ Enoch?

 _I suppose I do,_ she thought to herself wryly. _But what do I do?_ She knew she should probably tell him, but she didn't want to do that just yet. She didn't want to push her emotions onto her closest friend with so much going on already.

 _I'll tell him later,_ she promised. _When we're all safe, I'll tell him._

* * *

The next morning, Miss Peregrine held true to her word. There were sentries on watch all the time, and if they saw someone approaching, they had to ring a bell that would alert the Headmistress. Enoch remained in his basement laboratory, letting out all of his frustration on his homunculi. Peggy stayed with him, leaving occasionally to get their meals.

Miss Peregrine would occasionally poke her head in to make sure the two were still there and in one piece, and she would sometimes drag Peggy off to an English lesson ("This is no reason to abandon our education, Miss Tran," the Headmistress would remind her). But after a couple of days, the home settled into an uneasy quiet.

Peggy was grabbing some food for her and Enoch when Jacob came one day. Miss Peregrine grabbed her by the arm. "Go get Mr. O'Connor, Miss Tran. Now!"

Nodding, Peggy dropped the plate back onto the table and sprinted back into the basement, her braided pigtails bouncing wildly behind her. "Enoch!" She yelled. "Enoch!"

He dropped the three-legged homunculus that he had been working meticulously on. "What's wrong?" He asked with wide eyes, striding over to her quickly. "What's the matter, Peg?"

"Miss Peregrine wants us all up there now," she explained breathlessly. "Jacob's come back, and something is wrong."

Enoch rolled his eyes at the mention of Abe's grandson, but grabbed her hand anyway. "Come on then," he muttered. "Best not keep the Bird waiting."

They made it upstairs to see Miss Peregrine dragging Horace into the room. "We've just had word of a new threat," she told them, nodding at Jacob. ""A man outside our loop has died under suspicious circumstances. We can't be certain of the cause or whether it represents a true threat to our security, but we must conduct ourselves as if it did. Until further notice, no one may leave the house, not even to collect vegetables or bring in a goose for the evening meal."

Everyone groaned. Peggy sighed, dropping her head onto Enoch's shoulder.

"This has been a challenging few days for us all," Miss Peregrine said, her voice raised above the noise. "I beg your continued patience." She ignored everyone's questions and walked off to secure the doors, Jacob running after her.

Peggy, still holding Enoch's hand, began to make her way to the room she shared with Emma. "C'mon, Enoch," she said quietly.

Sighing, he said nothing as he allowed Peggy to pull him away. When they got into the room, they sat down on her bed, and Enoch took a lump of clay out of his pocket and began to whittle on it with a small knife. Peggy shrunk down and sat on his leg, and Enoch swiftly placed her on his shoulder, not looking away from his work.

Emma, Millard, and Bronwyn came in not much later. Bronwyn sat by the window, sighing forlornly every once and a while, and Millard sat down on Peggy's bed next to her and Enoch. Emma angrily grabbed a journal by her bed and began lighting the pages on fire. She leaped up when Jacob stormed in, looking just as angry as Emma.

"You're back!" She cried.

"I never left," Jacob grumbled. "Miss Peregrine wouldn't let me. I'm banished if I try to leave."

Accidentally setting her entire journal on fire, Emma cried, "She can't do that!"

"She's Miss Peregrine," Peggy said, swinging her legs from her place on Enoch's shoulder

"She can do what she likes," Bronwyn agreed.

Emma threw her notebook to the ground in childish protest, stomping out the fire.

"I just came to tell you I'm going," Jacob said "whether she wants me to or not. I won't be held prisoner, and I won't bury my head in the sand while my own father might be in real danger."

"Then I'm coming with you," Emma decided resolutely.

"You ain't serious," Bronwyn gasped.

Peggy nodded her head, getting off Enoch's shoulder to grow to her normal size. "You can't, Emma!" She cried.

"I can, and I _am_ serious."

"What you are is three-quarters stupid," Enoch bit out. "You'll turn into a wrinkled old prune, and for what? Him?"

Peggy slapped his shoulder lightly.

"I won't," declared Emma. "You've got to be out of the loop for hours and hours before time starts to catch up with you, and it won't take nearly that long, will it, Jacob?"

"It's a bad idea," Jacob agreed hesitantly.

 _"What's_ a bad idea?" Enoch asked, cocking an eyebrow. "She doesn't even know what she's risking her life for."

"Headmistress won't like it," Bronwyn reminded her. "She'll _kill_ us, Em."

" _She_ won't kill us," Emma sniffed, standing up to shut the door. "But those things will. And if they don't, living like this might just be worse than dying. The Bird's got us all cooped up so tight we can hardly breath, and all because she doesn't have the spleen to face whatever's out there!"

"Or not out there," Millard speculated.

"She won't like it!" Peggy protested.

Emma stepped toward her, and the Vietnamese girl shrunk back slightly. "How long can you hide under the hem of that woman's skirt?" She demanded.

Enoch placed a hand on Peggy's shoulder. "Watch it," he warned Emma.

"Have you already forgotten what happened to Miss Avocet?" Millard asked calmly. "It was only when her wards left the loop that they were killed and Miss Bunting kidnapped. If they'd only stayed put, nothing bad would've happened."

Emma was skeptical. "Nothing bad? Yes, it's true that hollows can't go through loops. But wights can, which is just how those kids were tricked into leaving. Should we sit on our bums and wait for them to come through our front door? What if rather than clever disguises, this time they bring guns?"

"That's what I'd do," Enoch agreed. "I'd wait until everyone's asleep and then come down the chimney like Santa Claus and BANG!" He fired an imaginary pistol at the wall then grabbed Peggy's hand.

"Thank you for that," Millard said dryly. Everyone was looking at the wide-eyed Peggy, who was slowly calming down from Enoch's scenario.

Emma grabbed Peggy by the shoulders, pulling her away from Enoch, and looked her in the eyes. "We've got to hit them before they know we know they're here, Peg! While we've still got the element of surprise!"

"But we don't know if they're really here!" Peggy protested.

"We'll find out," Emma replied firmly.

"And how do you propose to do that?" Millard asked. "Wander around until you see a hollow? What then? 'Excuse me, we were wondering what your intentions might be, vis à vis eating us."

"We've got Jacob," Bronwyn pointed out. "He can see them."

"I've only seen _one_ ," Jacob reminded them. "So I wouldn't exactly call myself an expert."

"You're the best we've got," Peggy said quietly.

"But if he shouldn't happen to see one?" Millard asked. "It could either mean that there are none to be seen or that they're hiding. You'd still be clueless, as you so clearly are now." At everyone's stumped looks, he continued, "Well, it appears that logic has prevailed yet again. I'm off to fetch some porridge for supper, if any of you would-be mutineers would like to join me."

As Peggy began to follow, Enoch jumped up, grabbed her hand, pulling her back, and cried, "I've got it!"

"Got what?" Millard asked.

Still holding tightly to Peggy's hand, Enoch turned to Jacob. "The bloke who may or may not have been eaten by a hollow—do you know where they're keeping him?"

Jacob, looking slightly taken aback, nodded. "At the fishmonger's."

Enoch grinned excitedly. "Then I know how we can be sure."

"And how's that?" Millard questioned.

"We'll ask him."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Here's another chapter! A really long one, too! I don't think Enoch was too out of character for this chapter, he just decides to actually be nice to Peggy. Enoch is nice in some parts of the books, but only at certain times. Anyway, I apologize for not updating in, like, forever, and I'd like to thank everyone who showed their support for this story; it means the world to me!**

 **Love, Nell**


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